In late 2019, when K-Pop girl group Momoland became talents of ABS-CBN via a co-management contract with their label MLD Entertainment, a lot of buzz was generated when member Nancy McDonie was announced to headline a production of Dreamscape Entertainment alongside heartthrob James Reid. Said production was entitled “The Soulmate Project,” and was shaping up to be a major Philippine-Korean collaboration of talent. Work on the series was supposed to take off in 2020, only to stall for rather obvious reasons. On the second month of 2021, Reid dropped a bombshell on social media that while “The Soulmate Project” is not cancelled, he himself is no longer part of it.

This was revealed by James Reid while he was a guest of celebrity tax accountant Mon Abrea on the “taxwhizph” hangout on Philippine social media streaming and e-commerce platform Kumu. A Kumu user made an inquiry on the progress of “The Soulmate Project,” to which the actor answered in the negative. “I won’t be doing ‘Soulmate’,” Reid tersely replied.

“The Soulmate Project” from Dreamscape Entertainment is being written and will be directed by Antoinette Jadaone. It is set in the Philippines of a near future wherein a new law, Republic Act 143, mandates citizens to be matched to a soulmate, ostensibly for family-raising purposes. While the project could have followed the lead of other TV productions in 2020 wherein health and safety protocols necessitate closed-in shooting, limited people on-set, and lack of persons under age 18 and over 65, Jadaone opted to put off work on “Soulmate” until the COVID pandemic situation has changed.

“‘The Soulmate Project’ is set not in a pandemic,” the director stated on social media days before James Reid’s pronouncement on Kumu. “It’s not meant to be shot during the pandemic where only 70 people are allowed on the set. I don’t want to revise or scale down just to fit the safety protocols. I feel it would come out differently if we forced it.”

While nothing at all was said about what Reid’s costar Nancy McDonie is up to regarding the series, it is assumed that the Momoland member was still on board with it.

Image courtesy of PhilNews.ph

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